Improvement in car-couplings



F, M. HUNT. Improvement in Car-Coupiings.

'Paten' ted April 2, 1872.

F ITED STATES FRANK M. HUNT, OF MARSHALLVILLE, GEORGIA.

IMPROVEMENT INCAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,298, dated April 2, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I FRANK M. HUNT, of Marshallville, in the county of Macon and State of Georgia, have invented an Improved Car-Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification Figure 1 being a top view of the two adjacent car-bumper heads provided with my improved coupling; Fig. 2, a front end view of one of the bumper-heads with the coupling attachment; Fig. 3, a view in perspective ofone of the parts of the coupling detached; Fig. 41-, a central longitudinal vertical section of the bumper-heads, and of the coupling in position as in the act of coupling two cars.

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all of the figures.

The nature of my invention consists in a tilt in g block of peculiar construction and arrangement, in connection with the coupling-pin, or bolt and link, substantially as hereinafter specitied.

LetA A represent bumper or draw-heads of two cars, the months a a of which may be of nearly or exactly the form ordinarily given; B B, the coupling-pins therein, also of nearly or exactly ordinary form; and O, a couplinglink, which also may be of ordinary construction, or as shown in the drawing. The tiltingblock D, which is the essential feature of my invention, is formed and arranged substantially as follows: It is situated in the mouth a of the bumper-head, being pivoted to the sides thereof by bolts or screw-pins b b, which, as shown, do not extend through the block, but into holes in the sides thereof. The pivot center is in such a position that the forward end of the block is considerably the heavier, and lies at the bottom of the mouth, the upper surface of the block; thence ascending backward with an inclination, substantially as shown. But a portion of the extreme upper surface of the block is level when it lies at rest, so that when the coupling-pinBis drawn up it will partly rest on the forward part of this surface and be sustained thereby just forward of the edge; where the coupling-pin thus rests is a hole, 0, extending down through the block, so that when the forward end of the block is raised a certain distance the couplingpin will slide off from the supporting edge and fall through the hole, and into the hole in the lower side of the drum-head. The form and arrangement of the block are such, substantially as represented, that when the couplinglink enters the bumper-head it slides upward upon the inclined surface of the block till it reaches a position partially under the raised supported coupling-pin, where it strikes apart of the block surface nearly vertical, and above the pivot-pins, so that its continued progress tilts the block sufliciently to cause the coupling-pin to fall into the block aperature c, and also through the couplingflink, which then has advanced so far into the bumper-head as to receive the same, whereby the cars become coupled. The coupling-link rides over the top of the block, which remains tilted orbalanced under the same, as indicated at the right hand in Fig. 4, thus holding the uncoupled end of the link, when the cars are again uncoupled, raised sufiicientl y to make it enter, without failure, the mouth of the bumper-head and strike the inclined surface of the tilting-block of the other car, as indicated at the left hand in the same figure.

The car is uncoupled by simply withdrawing the coupling-pin in the usual manner. The act of coupling is automatic,-after the coupling-pin is inserted, and rests -on the tiltingblock 5 hence there is no danger attendingthe act. The coupling is a very simple, cheap, and durable as well as effective device, and can be applied to the ordinary bumper-heads in use.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The tilting-block D, constructed and arranged snbstantially as described, in combination with the bumper-head A, coupling-pin B, and coupling-link O, as and for the purpose herein specified.

F. M. HUNT.

Witnesses:

BEN. F. CLARK, C. S. JOHNSON. 

